Tuesday, 1 March 2011

A sense of humour

I have to thank the wonderful Style East for taking what I think is my favourite photo of the whole fashion week - it really encapsulates all that is whimsical, fun and fantastical about LFW. By the monday, I had got used to the whole rather fabulous circus/ cabaret that is Somerset House, and was up for some fun. So when I meandered outside with Style East, the first thought that went through my head was "jump!" And reader, she got the shot - in one! Please do take a look at her blog if you want to read a fantastic post!

I know that sometimes naysayers claim that fashion gives nothing to the world and is merely a frivolity. Well, the latter maybe has a little truth - we've all overheard a vacuous conversation or two at some point. However, the same argument could equally be applied to the fields of modern art, sport, cars, fine food or wine etc... And I really resent the view held by some that if one enjoys fashion one must be a 'bubblehead'. Fashion may not solve world crisis' (but it can be valuable to help rebuild psychological confidence - read Linda Grant's 'The Thoughtful Dresser' if you don't believe me), but to use a suitably cheesy Devil Wears Prada quote - "We live our lives in it". And one of my favourite things about living in good clothes is the sheer fun it presents. I love getting up on a weekend, knowing that I can choose to wear whatever I want, and that I can enjoy the process of putting it together. Likewise, one of the best parts of behind-the-camera shoots with friends is the organisation and styling stage. After all, isn't styling merely an extension or update of the beloved childhood dressing up box?

Of course, London Fashion Week is a serious matter for most. People's careers hinge around it - whether you are a new designer trying to make your name or a journalist reporting. But sometimes it's nice to take a step back and appreciate the funny alongside the business-like. Lucy's Snippets of Shiny Thoughts provide a perfect example of whimsical observations of the industry. Something else that had me chortling at my computer were the Fake London Fashion Week tweets, with one notable excerpt being:

I don't know if it is slightly tongue in cheek to take something that gently ridicules the fashion industry and use it as proper inspiration, but I couldn't resist. And so I present my own orange ensemble. The particular shades in question are up to you...

Alright, Jane Eyre may be a bit of a cliched blogger book choice (at least I didn't include my matching mug!), but I plead my case on two points. One, it is the orange-est cover on my shelves. Two, it also happens to be one of my favourite reads - I sped through it. The cardigan is from a charity shop, and the accessories are all family inherited.

Another little humorous detail I noticed at LFW was this dog peering out of a bag at the Jaeger London/ Vodafone show. (The photo is mine). My mum and I were musing as to whether it belonged to someone backstage, or whether there is the equivalent of a dog modelling agency for shoots and catwalks requiring a canine element? Thanks once again to lovely Amy at Vodafone. Edit: The dog has now been named as Butters, and belongs to The Clothes Whisperer. This was apprently Butters' catwalk debut, and this cute little canine has her own dogblog here.

Finally, to do the usual blogger thing, here is a summary of what I was wearing on that monday at London Fashion Week. The denim dress is vintage Calvin Klein, bought off ebay. The headscarf is Charlotte Taylor, the bag was from a charity shop stall at the Big Chill music festival and the belt was my paternal Grandma's. I think her late son (my dad's brother) made the buckle? The shoes and tights are both from ebay.

Photo credit: Vogue Portugal (Mafalda Silva)

Do you think that fashion has both a place as art (Alexander McQueen springs to mind) as well as the simple function of being worn and enjoyed? What about the humour of fashion? I particularly loved seeing milliner Stephen Jones' latest hat collection, which has a great sense of whimsy and not taking itself too seriously (a Chanel-style cardigan for your head? An upside down bowler hat?) in the topsy-turvy inspired creations.

Oh Roz that first photo is simply wonderful!! I think you have to have fun with fashion, you have to have fun with everything otherwise life would be very dull indeed! I actually just found the most hilarious shoes, they are a black velvet mens slipper with embrodery, a 'screw' on one foot and a larger letter 'U' on the other!! Such a shame I can't get them into the UK without a huge shipping and import charge or I would snap them up in a heartbeat. We could all use some more laughs and humour in our lives!

I think fashion can be so many things. I don't like to put it in a box. It can be art, and it can also be fun. I don't like to take fashion so seriously. I love runway shows, and reading small blogs of people just discovering their style.

Your outfits are really beautiful. I love your use of yellow, and orange. I like the little detail of the orange eyeshadow. My Heart Blogged

my philosophy is that fashion is more design than art. that is to say, it's not a "fine" art but considered an applied art.you have an eye for whimisical fun! more posts like this from time to time are definitely in order. i love how you've added mustard yellow tights to the calvin klein denim dress! and the all-orange is totally charming, right down to the orange eye shadow.also, well done on the LFW photo- the little dog is definitely unexpected on the runway.xo

I really enjoyed reading this post, your outfits are wonderful, as always! I think that the bottom line is if you aren't having fun with fashion then you're doing something wrong! I completely agree with you about weekends and having complete styling freedom; I head straight for my 'dressing up box' and spend hours just playing. Fashion can be artistic, expressionistic, sexy, androgynous etc, but it should never stop being fun. xx

We all have to wear clothes everyday like it or not so we might as well have fun with them! I think that fashion is definitely a form of art too as designers put so much time and effort into their collections to create them to the same level of perfection they envisage in their heads. Maybe fashion isn't necessary - but then you could argue that most things aren't. It makes up our culture (in Britain) and other cultures around the world - think how many fashion weeks their are in the world!

That 1st photo is genius and caught 1st time ANAZING. Love it. This post of your has had me laughing it is brilliant you have used the orange tweet for inspiration. Your Jager catwalk shot is lovely. My guess is the dog belong to someone in the crew. Maybe even the model. Thank you for making me smile. Xxxx

This is such an inspiring post! It is definitely my favourite post of yours I have ever read, the first shot is magical! I adore your "orange" photo, using Jane Eyre is such a brilliant idea, I have a feeling I may be stealing a few ideas from this post! It sounds like you had an amazing time a LFW, I really wish I could have been there. I thought you had to be 18? Anyway, I cannot wait for your next post.www.styleisalwaysfashionable.blogspot.com

I agree with everything you say Roz, and it does annoy me when people snobbishly assume that fashion is shallow or stupid. Does anyone say the same thing about men watching football? One could sensibly argue that it has even less relevance to reality, and fills no real function. I absolutely think fashion is a form of art that incorporates both function and creativity, and I love it for the fact that no matter who you are, you can enjoy fashion in your life. It is really one of the most egalitarian forms of art.

Ramble over! I saw that shot of you on Style East this morning, and loved it. The orange outfit is even better, one of the most fabulous things I have seen you in. Would you mind if I put it into my next bloggy round-up post with a link-back? xx

aah thanks for featuring me Roz :) very sweet of you and I'm glad you liked your pic and your thought! Im really pleased to have shown my LFW pics in a new light this season, hopefully it may become a bit of a trend for me and others :)I heard about the madeuptweets today - sounds hilarious! Another example of us not taking it too seriously! Love your orange ensemble and that yuou went to the effort of upping him by being what could have been the muse for that tweet - love that youve not taken yourself seriously by doing it! hahalots of love xxx

I love that first photo of you! I think fashion is all about having fun and dressing up. It is certainly an extension of "play" from childhood.

Not sure if anyone else commented about the dog - it is The Clothes' Whisperer's dog, Butters: you can see the post about his catwalk debut here: http://www.theclotheswhisperer.co.uk/2011/02/london-fashion-week-special-butters.html

Great Post, I adore the first two pics, they are AMAZING. Jane Eyre? Can't say I liked it, but what I loved is "The Eyre Affair" by Jasper Fforde, who makes great use of Jane Eyre. It's one of my favourite books ever. Thanks for the book tip of "the thoughtful dresser" just added it to my amazon wishlist.

And over 30 hats in your collection? I so do envy you. ;) I only own 3 hats and 4 caps at this point and one of it is a base cap. Mmmh. Anyway I think you make lovely use of your hat collection and blog and thanks for the reminder that putting outfits together is actually fun.

woah! just discovering your blog, where have i been?!- i do believe that fashion is an art like the others you mentioned and there's tons of room for expression and different genres: romantic, edgy, dramatic and definitely humor.